Reviews by jminsc76:

Pours a slight bit of head, mildly beige and brown in color atop a very dark brown body. Looks like an espresso milkshake.

Aromas of cocoa and coffee, well-balanced, intensifying as I allow it to warm. A little bit of burnt sugar and dark chocolate as well.

Complex flavors of roasty coffee, chocolate, and the aforementioned brown sugar from start to finish, with the ultimate finish exhibiting some nice espresso bitterness. Woo wee! that’s a good dessert stout. Flavorful and rich yet isn’t overpowering in the slightest. My only complaint is it seemingly loses complexity near the end, with the first 75% as transcendent.

Mouthfeel is ebullient and smooth, though not pillowy considering it’s brewed with oats.

Overall, Blacks Dawn is delicious. Not since Green Flash’s Double Stout have I had something as flavor impactful as this one, and if I could select its secret weapon I would go with the oats. Even though they appear to do little for the mouthfeel they balance the intensity of the coffee and brown sugar, so as to optimize the sweetness. Even restraining it. Highly drinkable; I’d down two or three per sitting. (1,144 characters)

S: Big and smooth espresso nose with components of chocolate, marshmallow, and half and half. There is also a nice brown sugar sweetness and oatmeal evenness.

T: The coffee beans come through up front along with notes of chocolate milk, vanilla, raisins which then transitions to a leafy bitterness and a nice bourbonesque alcohol warmth which builds to the finish. The malt skeleton is of toasted bread and brownsugary sweetness along with the oats which impart a smoothness to the palate.

M: Big, round, and smooth adding to the already strong palate. The carbonation is minimal to moderate but enough to keep things interesting.

O: As a coffee lover, the brew does a wonderful job of showcasing espresso flavors in a solidly crafted Imperial Stout. I was taken aback by the strength and roundness of this stout, which overall reminded me of AleSmith's great Speedway. It's up and coming microbrews like Cismontane that remind me how wonderful it is to live in California as a beer geek. (1,104 characters)

Taste to me is solid malt and coffee and some chocolate in a smooth mouth-feel stout some malt sweetness.Even bitterness on the finish and no alcohol burn for the 8%+. Coffee colored light foam, would like to have this on nitro/tap..

Basically, really nice. Not blockbuster but something I would happily buy again and glad I got to try. (435 characters)

Perhaps aptly named, this beer is indeed black, or close to it. Some brown does show in the edges, but only if there's plenty of light. A tan head grows nearly a full finger tall before dropping to a sturdy enough foam that is able to drop mostly spotting but with some patching in places as well.Coffee pours out on the nose straightaway upon opening the bottle. Cocoa is also evident with a touch of caramel sweetness. Plenty of malt backbone supports the big coffee and chocolate notes. Bitterness seems to come just from the bittersweet cocoa and the coffee.Not much difference comes out between the aroma and the flavor. Coffee never fades away, staying strong and it has a freshness to it, which is key to any beer depending on it. Bittersweet baker's chocolate comes through strong as well, lingering in the finish. Overall,it leans toward having a stronger level of bitterness without going way too bitter, just managing to be free of any acrid edge.A big enough stout, there is of course a robustness to this one. It's nicely smooth and on the appropriately low end as far as carbonation. As an imperial stout, though, it needs just a touch, a very slight touch, more thickness and body. (1,199 characters)

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, pitch-black color, with a quarter of a finger of chocolate/caramel-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a thin lacing of foam that almost, but not quite, completely covered the top of the beer.

Taste: Wow! Holy shit! Is this beer strong and awesome! Massive, rich, earthy, roasty flavors of roasted malt up front, followed by tons of coffee and brown sugar-like sweetness, hints of vanilla and smoke, but the predominate flavors are of roasted malt and coffee!

Mouthfeel: Chewy and smooth as there is very little in the way of carbonation. With an ABV of 8.5%, there is a very pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate.

Overall: This is an excellent, coffee-infused Imperial Stout! Malty as hell, roasty as hell, and tasty as hell, with tons of coffee, but thankfully, none of the bitterness that usually accompanies coffee. Very highly recommended! (1,249 characters)

Like coffee?This is the freshest cup of java you will every find.Pours a deep, dark black in the glass with a decent two fingers of tan bubbles that melt slowly leaving a nice mapping in their wake.Aroma is nice sweet coffee. Darkly toasted malt, brown sugar, and freshly ground sumatra coffee hits the nose.Mouthfeel is rich, creamy and smooth....tiny bubbles make it almost seem nitro but without the nitro aftertaste.Your tastebuds are delighted with freshly ground sumatra coffee, brown sugar and smooth grained oatmeal.Hops only exist to keep the brown sugar in check and the aftertaste is pure coffee and maybe a hint of nuts.This one definitely tasted like 'breakfast in a bottle' to me.Totally smooth and mellow without a hint of bitterness.Careful - the 8% ABV is not apparent in the taste and this one can creep up on you. (841 characters)

Opaque seal brown body with a whisper of ran bubbles up top, settling into a thin collar and oily webbing. Anemic lacing.

Coffee, roast barley, and a touch of diacetyl in the nose.

Carob, earth, black pepper, brown butter, and stale coffee to start on the palate. Taste brings to mind a 24hr greasy spoon catering to somnolent truckers on some remote interstate. Finishes with a pleasing toastiness, though the diacetyl persists.

Oily, medium bodied, with low carbonation.

A decent coffee stout marred by a few defects you might expect from a home-brew. (613 characters)

Pours a finger and half of tan head on a black body.The aroma is burnt and roasted malt, molasses and dark chocolate. Excellent.The taste is a great blend of coffee and chocolate bitterness, molasses and roasted malt sweetness, finishes with a touch of burnt wood.The texture is smooth with low carbonation.Super drinkable and flavorful. (341 characters)